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Truckers are the lifeblood of Britain. Without them our shops, shelves, construction sites, fuel tanks and kitchen cupboards would be empty.

In this story of real-life kings and queens of the road, we’re riding shotgun with the team at Owens - one of the oldest and biggest haulage companies in Wales. Proudly Welsh, from their base in Llanelli the Owens family run a haulage network that spans the UK, providing hundreds of vital jobs, as well as pride in the local community - and turning over £170 million a year.

2022 saw the trucking industry under pressure like never before, with the combined effects of Brexit, the Ukraine war and massive driver shortages as well as rocketing fuel and energy prices. From the boss to the warehouse ops, truckers and their families, we follow the company and its employees at a uniquely challenging time for both the haulage industry and ordinary Welsh people.

Veteran truck driver Phil, aka The Donk, has been with the company for 23 years. He’s practically part of the furniture and is the go-to man for any problem, big or small. But this week, he’s got more than just trucking on his mind. With his four-year anniversary to wife Debs coming up, he’s planning to pull out all the stops to make it extra special. First, they both have an anxious wait for the results of her latest cancer check-up.

One of the newest recruits to the world of trucking is Laura – one of ten new apprentices recently brought in to combat the driver shortages. So far, she’s loving the life of a trucker. After a lesson from The Donk in how to park a 55-foot truck in a tight space, she’s ready to hit the road on the day shift. Top of today’s tasks is delivering 52 pallets of toilet roll. Between deliveries, she manages to squeeze in a quick catch-up with fiancée and fellow apprentice driver Ben.

For managing director Ian Owen, the pressure’s on to keep the whole show on the road. Having worked for the company since leaving school, he took over the top job from his dad, company founder Huw, just over a year ago. Now the trucking industry is facing unprecedented challenges. His latest headache is rocketing energy prices. An increase of 6p per litre on fuel, across the 400 trucks in the fleet, could add an extra £1 million onto the company’s fuel bill.